Cynthia Curtin will fill seat after Hoover’s removal by Ohio Supreme Court
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the appointment of Cynthia Curtin to the Stow Municipal Court, effective June 9, following the removal of Judge Kim Hoover by the Ohio Supreme Court in September.
Curtin, a Hudson resident, will complete the remainder of Hoover’s unfinished term and must run for election in November to retain the position.
The appointee brings extensive legal experience, having started her career in 1989 as an associate attorney with Keller, Scully, & Williams, LLP in Cleveland. She operated her own practice, Curtin Law, LLC, in Akron from 2003 to 2023 before joining Perez Morris in Cleveland as an attorney.
Curtin earned her bachelor of science degree from Indiana University and her juris doctorate from Cleveland State University’s Marshall College of Law.
She maintains active memberships in several professional organizations including the Ohio State Bar Association, Akron Bar Association, Cleveland Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Ohio Association of Civil Trail Attorneys, and the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.
The Ohio Supreme Court removed Hoover from office after finding he committed 48 violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct and 16 violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct. The court determined Hoover wrongfully incarcerated two men and coerced 14 others into paying fines and costs under unlawful threats of incarceration.
Justice Patrick Fisher wrote in the opinion that Hoover’s actions manifested “a bias against those of lower socioeconomic status” and that he “leaned into the idea of a debtors’ prison.”
